Tony Awards: June 9, 8pm ESTDrama Desk Awards: May 19, 8pm ESTDrama League Awards: May 17, 12pm ESTOuter Critics Circle: Announced May 13
(NOTE: The Theatre World Awards have yet to announce dates…)

And all of the nominated shows…

But enough awards talk, on to exciting NEW things!

First up is one that is confirmed (and already marquee’d) for Broadway: First Date – a new musical about a horrible blind date. It’s slated to begin previews July 9 and open August 4. The show played well to the Seattle crowd and is still undergoing more changes before hitting, the Great White Way – seems a bit better suited for Off-Broadway, but who knows, maybe it’ll be next season’s runaway hit…

The other confirmed musical is Big Fish, an adaptation of the film that’ll star the oh-so-talented Norbert Leo Butz and Kate Baldwin. With Susan Stroman at the helm, there are a lot of big names attached to the project, which is now doing it’s out of town try out in Chicago, so it’s likely going to be a difficult investment to recoup.

Next up is Always… Patsy Cline, a jukebox musical telling the story of Patsy’s life through the eyes of her most devoted fan. Motown is still doing well box-office-wise, so the jukebox musical isn’t likely to die anytime soon. We’ll see if Patsy’s songs can fare better than some of the more recent attempts in this genre.

Prince of Broadway is another jukebox musical looking to open in the fall – celebrating the shows Hal Prince helped make into the big hits they were, this musical will have a bit more self-awareness than other jukebox musicals and a fantastic cast, including: Linda Lavin, Sebastian Arcelus, Sierra Boggess, Daniel Breaker, Josh Grisetti, Shuler Hensley, Richard Kind, Amanda Kloots-Larsen, LaChanze, Caroline O’Connor, David Pittu and Emily Skinner. But apparently that cast is part of the reason the show didn’t open when it was originally slated to do so. Will this one end never making it to opening night? We’ll just have to wait and see…

Then we’ve got Diner, with Sheryl Crow penning the score and lyrics and Barry Levinson, the film’s director and writer on the book. Bosting an Academy Award, Emmy Award and Grammy Award between them, this pair is hoping to add some Tony’s to their shelf too.

Beyond that are a number of shows that have tentative and out-of-town announcements, including:

Rocky: The Musical (a German transfer based on the film and directed by Alex Timbers)Houdini (with music by Stephen Schwartz and starring Hugh Jackman)Ever After (based on the film and directed by Kathleen Marshall)Bullets Over Broadway (based on the film and directed by Susan Stroman)Les Miserables (with fresh scenic and narrative elements and new orchestrations)Aladdin (based on the Disney film and directed by Casey Nicholaw)